What is the Acton Children’s Business Fair?

The Acton Children’s Business Fair inspires children to discover their inner entrepreneur. The largest entrepreneurship event for kids in North America, this one-day market gives children the opportunity to showcase their very own businesses.

Where should I begin? 

Start with our resources page. Read inspiring stories about other young entrepreneurs and play games to hone your business skills.

How do I apply? Can I apply as part of a group?

Application must be submitted online. Please submit one application for each business. Children working as a group should submit one application that includes each child’s information. No more than 3 participants per business.

What is the cost?
The participation fee is $25.00 per business, with an extra cost of $5 per each additional entrepreneur at one booth (limit of 3 total per booth). We use these funds to prepare the fair and arrange prizes. 

What is on the application?

The application asks young people to think through some simple, but important elements of their business:

Are edible items permitted? 

No edible items are permitted to be sold. 

What if someone else has the same business idea?  

Two art businesses? Not a problem. In general, we will let market forces play out, though we will let later entries know if another applicant has a similar idea so the later entrant can decide what to do.

How will the fair be set up?

The fair will be an indoor event with booths. Each business will be given a booth with an 6-foot table, and 1-2 chairs. Table cloths will not be provided. 

Will electricity be available?

Please let us know in your application what your booth needs. We will respond with if we can meet your needs.

What are the rules? 

This event is designed to give children the experience of selling a product or service. If a parent is found selling or promoting a child’s product or service, their child’s business will be disqualified from the competition.

Parents of youngest children may sit in the booth, but the children should be responsible for set up, customer interaction, and sales.

Parents may help their child fill out the application, but we expect the children to do as much as possible by themselves.

How did the Acton Children’s Business Fair get started?

Jeff and Laura Sandefer and a few other families wanted to spark a sense of wonder and entrepreneurship in their children so they created the first Acton Children’s Business Fair in Austin, Texas, in 2007. That year, there were seven entrepreneurs and around 25 attendees. Now, there are over 115 entrepreneurs and 1,500 attendees at the Acton Children's Business Fair in Austin.

Interested in becoming a Sponsor?
We'd love to hear from you! Join us in our mission to inspire London’s next generation of leaders.

To keep booth costs low for our young entrepreneurs, we do require sponsorships to make this non-profit event possible! Email us directly at businessfair@infinityschool.ca